The Never Ending Story
by Sapphiron
Summary: Kagome marry the eldest Prince of the Northern Lands to help Inuyasha and her friends to gain access into the Ice Palace. However, this prince kill the women he marries before the sunrises. Kagome plan to distract him by boring him to sleep with a story.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Kagome marry the eldest Prince of the Northern Lands to help Inuyasha and her friends to gain access into the Ice Palace. However, this prince is known to kill the women he marries before the sunrises. Kagome has a plan to evade the execution by telling him a boring story to bore him to sleep and then escape!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Inuyasha's characters but any unfamiliar characters in this story belong to me.

**The Never Ending Story**

Inuyasha and his gang were eating dinner around the campfire when Myoga, the flea jumped out of nowhere and landed on Inuyasha's nose. "Long time no see, Master Inuyasha," Myoga said sucking Inuyasha's blood at the same time.

SLAP!

Inuyasha swatted Myoga with his hand. Making Myoga moaned in pain and floated down on the ground as flat as a piece of paper. "Well, well, if it isn't Myoga the flea." Inuyasha said.

"Myoga, you coward! Didn't you run away the last time again?" Shippo cried form beside Kagome.

"So, what brings you here Myoga?" Kagome asked.

Myoga ignoring Shippo replied, "I found something that can give the Tessaiga a new power."

"Really? How?" Inuyasha asked quickly. Any power will come in handy when fighting with Naraku.

"A crystal call the Ice Crystal used by demons long ago to freeze a large army during the war between demons long ago," Myoga explained. "After that, it is said to be lost but I found out from a demon from the North who said the Lord of the Northern Lands who lived in a Ice Palace on a snowy mountain is in possession of it."

"If you can break the crystal with the Tessaiga, the Tessaiga will be able to absorb its power and then your sword will be able to freeze a hundred demons with one stroke," Myoga continued. 

"Alright!" Inuyasha cried excitedly. "What are waiting for? Let us go now!"

"Um… Inuyasha it is still night and we need rest," Miroku said while his hand wandered over to caress Sango's butt.

"Pervert!" Sango screamed and hit Miroku on the head with her Hiraikotsu.

Shippo sighed and said, "He never learns." And everyone agreed.

Inuyasha sighed and said, "Fine, we'll rest but we leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"Oh, and one more thing. Remember to pack something to keep you humans warm because the mountain which the Ice Palace is located is always snowing because the Lord and his family are white dragon demons and they're very, very powerful. So, be careful Inuyasha," Myoga said. "Well, since I have told you all about it I should be going now. Bye!" Myoga jumped off and was about to leave when a hand quickly grabbed him.

"Not so fast, Myoga. You're coming with us," Inuyasha said and grinning evilly at him. He knew Myoga was running from danger again.

"What!? I didn't say I want to come," Myoga cried and struggling to get out of Inuyasha's grip. But when he saw Inuyasha was about to squash him, he stopped struggling and sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go with you," Myoga finally agreed.

"Good. Now, let's get some rest."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning they packed all of their belongings and set off to the northern lands. The morning was cool and filled with birds singing in the forest. The sun's gentle golden warm rays bathed the earth with warmth. It was a beautiful morning so they're in their high spirits.

It took about three days to reach the northern lands. They had to stop once in a while in villages for provisions or accommodations. Sometimes they also need to battle with demons that attacked them to get the Shikon jewel shards for themselves.

At about evening, they arrived at a village in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains with snowy peaks. It was beautiful scenery and the village seemed peaceful.

"Oh, I know this village! It is the village that is under the Lord of the Northern Lands rule," Myoga said excitedly jumping up and down.

"Which means?" Inuyasha asked eagerly.

"The Ice Palace isn't far," Miroku concluded, rubbing his chin.

"That's right!" Myoga cried excitedly.

"Why does a demon rule over humans as well?" Sango asked Myoga. She was truly puzzled by what she heard.

"Lord Kogugawa who is the Lord of the Northern Lands is a fair demon. He rule over both humans and demons and treated both fairly. He is respected for his fairness beside his powers and heritage." Myoga explained.

"I see," Kagome smiled. "Does that mean he is a good demon?"

"That I'm not entirely sure of," Myoga replied.

"Let's go down to the village and find a place to stay for the night," Miroku said. "And maybe find out a thing or two about the Ice Palace."

"Alright. The sooner we find out this Ice Palace the better." Inuyasha said.

Then, they headed down to the village below.

"Um… Myoga?"

"Yes, Shippo. What is it?"

"You kept saying the Ice Palace. Is it really made of ice?" Shippo asked curiously.

"I don't know because I have never been there myself. I only knew what other demons told me and they never once describe about the place."

"Well, never mind that. We'll find out when we get to the village below." Kagome said, smiling at Shippo.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It did not take long for them to get to the village below. Ever since they reached this place they all felt the weather seemed to be getting colder. The day was about to reach twilight and villagers were already beginning to prepare dinner.

Despite the fact that Inuyasha and his friends look outlandish; the villagers welcomed them warmly and offered them hospitality. The village head, Koichi who was a kind old man, invited them to stay in his home for the night because he had the biggest home in the village and he had a few spare rooms.

After that, he had his wife and children served them dinner. He had a sixteen year old daughter and a fourteen year old son. The moment Miroku saw his pretty daughter he took both of her hands into his and asked her to bear his child. Of course, he got hit on the head by Sango's Hiraikotsu.

After they all had settled down for dinner, Miroku asked Koichi about the Ice Palace.

"Koichi, do you by any chance know where is the Ice Palace?"

"I know it is somewhere around on top of one of the peaks of these mountains," he replied. "But legend said that the Ice Palace will only appear at dawn and dusk. The white dragon demons long ago weaved a magic spell around their palace to only appear to the world only at dawn and dusk to make it harder to those who want to start a siege against their Palace. The white dragon demons are not only known of their special powers over cold but also magic as well."

"So, you mean only at dawn and dusk we can only look for the palace?" Kagome asked.

"Exactly," Koichi said. "Anyway, why do you want to look for it anyway?" Koichi asked curiously.

"Yeah. Only the people who want to marry their daughters to Prince Hideyuki are looking for the palace now," his son, Gyobu added. "Are you ladies planning to marry him too?"

"Of course not!" Kagome and Sango cried at the same time. "And we don't even know who he is!" Kagome said.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said. "Who is this Prince Hideyuki anyway?"

"Prince Hideyuki is quite a legend in the Northern Lands. He is in a kind of way, a half-demon as well."

"Huh? Really?" Inuyasha was a bit more interested in that prince now after hearing he was a half-demon as well.

"Yes, but in a different way. His mother is the Goddess of Winter, Skadi and his father is Kogugawa, the white dragon demon so he is half god half demon. After Prince Hideyuki was born, his mother seemed to leave him and his father for some unknown reason. Then, Lord Kogugawa married again later with another white dragon demoness."

Then the Koichi chuckled and continued, "He is quite a legend here. Aside from his heritage, he did a few extraordinary things in his life. When he was thirty (human years: 6), our village feared what he will become if he grow up one day for he is no ordinary demon but a semi-god. He will be very powerful like he is now and also back then he proved it. The villagers captured him and tied him to a wooden pole to burn him to death. But the wood would not catch fire and he broke free of the bonds. We still weren't sure how he did that. Then he froze every one of the villagers who tried to sentence him to death with his cold breath. Besides that, when he was sixty (human years: 12), he killed a huge army of demons with just his claws. Lastly, when he was a hundred and fifty (human years: 18), he created a barrier for this village to protect us while he battled against an army of creatures created by a god to kill him who despised him for being a semi-god. After that, he was wounded badly but he managed to drive them away. After that, he was greatly exhausted from using so much power and strength and almost close to death's door. But in the end he managed to overcome it and lived."

"Wow. That's some life he led." Shippo said. Everyone was impressed by that story.

_

* * *

__Meanwhile, somewhere in a palace far away…_

Prince Hideyuki suddenly sneezed. "Someone's gossiping about me," he said. Then he shrugged, "Probably the villagers."

* * *

"Keh! What I don't understand is why choose to create a barrier to protect all of you when all of you tried to kill him long ago." Inuyasha was puzzled by Prince Hideyuki's actions. 

"Inuyasha has a point there Koichi," Miroku agreed.

Koichi closed his eyes and answered, "Probably because we are also under his father's rule or maybe he felt like it."

"He felt like it?" Kagome puzzled.

"Yes. He can be good and he can be evil as well. He got his 'mood swings'. Like last year he brought an endless blizzard upon us for five days and he said he was just testing his power over winter. But I think he purposely did it to see us suffer. There were some of us died of that terrible cold. Right now, he killed every bride he married during the night that they were married."

"What!?" They all cried, horrified by what they heard.

"Yes because he didn't want to marry yet but his father forced him to because he want him to get married before his two hundredth (human years: 22) birthday. It is the custom of their family that the eldest child must get married before their two hundredth birthday."

"But what he did was horrible," Kagome was disgusted by what the prince did.

"Yeah," Sango agreed.

"Like I said, he can be sinister sometimes," Koichi sighed.

"You know, that gave me an idea to how to gain access into the place," Miroku said.

"How?" Everyone asked enthusiastically.

"How about we tell the lord that we want to marry either Sango or Kagome to his son then he'll let us in and stay for a while?"

"WHAT!?"

"Of course it is just a lie and they probably won't start the wedding on that day. So we just have to sneak off quickly later."

"Hmm… I say that isn't a bad idea." Inuyasha said, rubbing his chin.

"But which one of us will go?" Kagome asked.

Everyone looked at her except Inuyasha who looked worried if it was her. Kagome was horrified. "Why does it have to be me?"

"Ahem," Miroku cleared his throat for the explanation. "Because you always soften a demon's heart. Take for instance Koga, he ended up falling in love with you and stop eating humans just for you. And also you managed to soften Inuyasha's heart as well. So what I'm saying is you're good with demons."

Inuyasha blushed when he heard that. "Keh! What do you mean soften? I'm still like before."

Kagome sighed. "Fine. I'll do it."

Then Miroku yawned. "Then it's settled then. We'll set up tomorrow at dawn."

Everyone agreed and retired to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

At dawn the next day Miroku and Sango were searching for the Ice Palace by air on Kirara's back while Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo stayed on land waiting for them. Kagome borrowed a white kimono from the village. White dragon demons like white they said.

Inuyasha thought she looked beautiful in it. He sure hoped the prince would not take a liking to her. He loved her very much even when he was always thinking about Kikyo.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sango, Miroku and Kirara's return. "We found it. It's on top of a mountain in the north-east."

"Let's go!" Inuyasha cried. Letting Kagome and Shippo climbed on his back.

The palace was not hard to spot. It was huge and it was built on a snow covered mountain and it seemed to be made entirely of ice. Its ice structure and the snow almost blended well together and it would have been hard to spot if you don't really know where to look.

When they reached the mountain, they all put on thick clothes or furs to protect themselves from treacherous cold. Within minutes, they're at the massive door of the Ice Palace. Knocking the door and waiting to be answered.

"Wow," Shippo said, looking around him in awe.

"Yeah, it is amazing. It seems to be made entirely of ice." Kagome was also gazing around her in wonder. All of them were impressed by the palace.

A young lady with long silver hair tied up in a high pony tail answered the door. She has pale skin and emerald green eyes and elfin feature. She was quite beautiful and Miroku was already looking at her lecherously. "Yes?" She asked.

"Send word to your lord that we have brought him a lady to marry his son," Miroku said, pointing at Kagome.

She sighed. "Are you sure? He already killed all nine brides he had. He killed four demons, three humans and two nymphs and you want to be the next?" she asked incredulously.

Shippo gulped. "That's bad," he said nervously. "Yes," Kagome answered that lady.

"Alright then," the lady sighed. "It's you own funeral." Stepping aside to let them pass.

"May I know who are you?" Miroku asked.

"I'm Princess Shika. Half-sister of Prince Hideyuki," she introduced herself. Then she led them to the palace's library. There they saw an older looking demon with long silver hair and emerald green eyes similar to Princess Shika. He was pale as well but more muscularly in built. He was chatting to a younger demon that looked about twelve with long silver hair and also the same green eyes but with some mischievous gleam in them. That boy was a head shorter than Inuyasha. When they saw they have company they stopped talking and looked at them.

"A woman here wants to marry Hideyuki," she announced to them. Then she turned to Inuyasha and his friends "Meet my father, Lord Kogugawa and my brother, Prince Senka." Then she turned to her father and brother and introduced Inuyasha and his friends to them.

"Are you sure child? Hideyuki isn't the best choice I admit if you want wealth and a husband of a noble family. There are plenty of others you know," Lord Kogugawa said, looking at her questioningly.

"Well, um…" Kagome was not sure how to answer. "I'm willing to take the chance."

"Dad, I don't want to attend another funeral. We've attended nine funerals and I'm sick of it," Prince Senka whined.

His father sighed. "So am I. That's why I stopped asking other noble families' daughters to marry him. Well, if you really want to marry him, follow me. He should be around the garden right now."

Lord Kogugawa and Prince Senka led them to the palace garden. The garden was vast with snow covered ground and leafless trees. They approached a tall young demon with knee-length silver hair. He also had elfin looks and his short front hair parted to reveal a diamond shaped white star on his forehead. Unlike his father and siblings, he had sapphire blue eyes. He was extraordinarily handsome and that made Inuyasha worried about Kagome falling for him.

Prince Hideyuki was standing beside a magnificent white Pegasus that was bigger than any normal horse and its wings was twice the size of its body. The beast snorted when it saw them approached.

"Son, a woman here wishes to marry you," Lord Kogugawa said, motioning to Kagome. "Her name is Kagome."

Prince Hideyuki glared at his father for a moment before turning to look at Kagome up and down. Then he slowly smiled at them. His smile sent a chill down everybody's back. "Haven't you learn, father? I won't accept any woman you picked up for me."

"Well, this time is different. She comes of her own will. Not because of me or her parents' wishes."

"I see," Prince Hideyuki said, looking at Kagome for a moment. He wondered why she would want that. Rumors about what happened to his brides spreaded like wildfire and she probably knew about it.

Then he turned away from them and climbed onto the Pegasus's back. Turning to Kagome he said, "Get ready. We'll get married tonight." Then the beast took off into the sky with him. Leaving Inuyasha and his friends staring at him opened mouth. Now, things did not go as plan. They didn't expect him to marry Kagome that day.

They were snapped out of their shock by Lord Kogugawa's clapping. He clapped twice then two servants appeared before him. "Take Lady Kagome to her chambers to get ready for the wedding tonight and show these people to their rooms to rest."

"Yes, milord," they bowed.

Then they led them out of the garden. They were reluctant to leave for they were about to protest to the lord but the lord ushered them out of the garden.

After they were gone, he turned to his son, "Son, will you accompany me to the funeral parlor to buy a coffin?"

Prince Senka eyes widened. "Dad, she's not dead yet!"

The lord sighed wearily. "But she's going to be. Better be prepared first, right son?"

"You're going crazy, dad," his son said, shaking his head. "But I guess you're right."

"Then, let's go," the lord said, putting an arm around his son. Together they went to the funeral parlor.

* * *

Well, what do you think about my story? Please write me some reviews after reading because this is the second fanfiction I started in this website so your opinions are very important to me. :-) 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Kagome stood before the mirror in her chambers after the servants helped her put on the bridal kimono and make up. She could hardly recognize the person inside the mirror. She like many other girls did dreamed about getting married one day but she never imagined she would be dressed in an exquisite traditional silk kimono.

"Wow," she said to herself. The two lady servants had left her to rest before the wedding. Then, Kagome put on the gold jewelries that the servants helped her borrowed from Princess Shika.

When she was standing a while to admire her reflection, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Kagome called out. The door slid opened and Sango came in to see how Kagome's preparation was.

"Wow, Kagome you look beautiful!" Sango exclaimed.

"Really?" Kagome smiled shyly.

"Absolutely, I could hardly recognize you!"

"I could hardly recognize myself," Kagome admitted.

Sango stood with Kagome in front of the mirror. "Sango, I never imagined my wedding will be like this," Kagome breathed. "I-I feel nervous."

"Don't worry, Kagome. Everything will turn out fine," Sango comforted her. "Oh, and don't forget you're only marrying him temporarily."

"Oh yeah," she remembered. "I shouldn't get so carried away."

"Now, let's get you some rest before the wedding."

* * *

Meanwhile, Miroku and Inuyasha were resting in a large room provided by the lord. Shippo went off with Prince Senka to explore the palace. Miroku was sleeping soundly on the soft and comfortable futon while Inuyasha was twisting and turning in his futon. Probably his jealousy was acting up again. 

"Damn it! I can't SLEEP!!!" Inuyasha screamed.

His scream made Miroku jumped a foot. "What's your problem Inuyasha!?" He shouted at Inuyasha, annoyed at having being interrupted in his sleep.

"I can't stand it! I can't stand her marrying that-that-that sorry excuse for a dragon!" he yelled in contempt.

"Oh I see. You're being jealous again," Miroku said knowingly. He knew this was bound to happen to Inuyasha sooner or later because he was a very jealous person.

"No, I'm not!" He denied it.

"Then, why you can't stand her marrying him for a while then? You know this is temporary don't you?"

"Of course I know this is temporary."

"Then?" Miroku pressed.

"Because-because… Arrrrggghhhh!!!" He couldn't find any excuse to explain his behavior. Then, he turned his back on Miroku angrily.

Miroku smirked. He knew what he said hit home. "Don't worry. After we get what we came here for we'll leave this place quietly," Miroku reassured.

"Keh!"

* * *

After the twilight came, Kagome and Sango were led by a servant to the palace throne room where her wedding took place. The servant told them everybody was already waiting for her to arrive. 

Inuyasha was pacing back and forth in the throne room restlessly. He and the others all were sat below as audience while Prince Hideyuki was standing in front of his father who stood in front of the throne. His father was marrying them today.

When the servant announced Kagome's arrival, all eyes were turned on her. Inuyasha and Miroku eyes widened when they saw her. They never expected her to look so beautiful.

"Is that really her?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha's jaw dropped at the sight of her.

"So, what do you think about Kagome?" Sango asked them, taking her place beside Miroku.

Inuyasha turned to look at her still with his mouth hanging opened. "Um… Inuyasha, you might want to close your mouth," Sango reminded him. Inuyasha closed his mouth but he was still at a loss for words.

"I never thought she would look so beautiful," Miroku said. Then, he turned to Inuyasha, "Do you?"

Inuyasha shook his head slowly.

Kagome walked over to where Prince Hideyuki stood waiting for her. He smiled at her while she stood beside him. She smiled back at him shyly. He did looked handsome too that night. He wore a splendidly made kimono and a gold chain around his neck.

Lord Kogugawa looked at them for a while and thought to himself that they made a perfect couple. Then he started the wedding ceremony.

"Do you take this fine young lady as your legally wedded wife?" He asked Prince Hideyuki.

"Yes, I do."

Then, Lord Kogugawa turned to Kagome. "Do you take this fine young man as your legally wedded husband?"

Someone in the room coughed at the mention of 'fine young man' to Prince Hideyuki. Probably that was Prince Senka.

"Yes, I do."

"Will you stay by her side and protect her and love her until death drew you both apart?" Lord Kogugawa asked Prince Hideyuki.

"Yes, I do."

"Will you stay by his side and love him through all hardships and difficulty in life until death drew you both apart?" Lord Kogugawa asked Kagome.

"Yes, I do."

Then, Prince Hideyuki took Kagome's hand and slid a gold ring over her finger.

"You may kiss the bride." Inuyasha braced himself at what he was about to see after Lord Kogugawa said that.

Prince Hideyuki turned to Kagome and leaned over to kiss her on the lips. Everybody gasped when he did that. Prince Hideyuki had never kissed the other brides he married on the lips. He only kissed them on the forehead. Kagome swore her heart skipped a few beats when he did that.

Inuyasha on the other hand was having a hard time refraining from running over to them and strangle that prince to death. He kept imagining how good it would be to wrap his fingers around the prince's slender neck and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze until his eyes popped out.

Miroku yanked Inuyasha's hair when he saw the look on his face and told him to calm down.

Lord Kogugawa quickly recovered from his shock and said to them, "I now announce you both husband and wife." Then everybody applauded except Inuyasha.

"Now, let's go on with the wedding feast!" Prince Hideyuki announced to the audience with a grin.

"Ooooohhh, a wedding feast! I'm salivating," Shippo said.

"Grrrrr…" Inuyasha growled and hit Shippo on the head.

"Ouch! Why did you do that for?" Shippo asked angrily.

"Let's just say he is in a little bad mood this evening." Miroku sighed.

* * *

I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter although you might find that the wedding ceremony is a bit odd because it is more western than traditional Japanese. Lol. Sorry, I didn't know much about traditional Japanese weddings :-). Please write me a review after you read this chapter or maybe tell me how odd the wedding is, lol. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The dining room was almost as big as the throne room itself with fine tapestries hanging on the wall. The dining room also had some long windows that gave them a view outside. All of them were seated on the floor at a long rectangular table that seemed to stretch a few meters. It was night so the room was lighted with some glowing blue stones on the walls. In fact, the whole palace was lit by the glowing blue stones. They were much better than using candles or torches.

As for the feast, it was grand indeed. There were roasted mountain goat, roasted pork, tempayakis, salmon dipped in soy sauce, fried salted mackerel, sushi, tea and sake. Kagome and Prince Hideyuki were seated side by side at the head of the table while Inuyasha and the others were seated facing the white dragon demons family.

"Well, let's not sit down with our tummies rumbling. Everyone dig in," Prince Hideyuki said after a moment of silence.

Nobody needed to be told twice. Everyone attacked the food on the table as soon as he said that. There was one problem though. All of the food on the table was cold.

"Why is it all the food cold?" Shippo asked after he took his first bite on his roasted mountain goat.

"Because we like our food cold," Prince Hideyuki answered. "In fact, we like our things cold such as our homes and environment."

"Oh," Shippo said. What a weird family, he thought to himself. Then Miroku tried his sake, it was as cold as ice. "At least the sake taste good when cold," he said.

Then they ate in silence for a while. When Prince Hideyuki was eating, Kagome noticed he had very sharp fangs. They seemed to slice through meat as easily as using a knife. On top of that, she noticed his claws were long and sharp too. He looks dangerous. Is he really going to kill me tonight? She thought. He was sitting right beside her eating like nothing bad was going to happen.

While he was eating, he noticed Kagome was looking at him. He stopped eating and asked, "Is something the matter Kagome?"

"No, nothing at all," she quickly said then she resumed eating. Prince Senka who was sitting on her right rolled his eyes when she said that. Kagome knew what he was thinking. Princess Shika pinched his side when he did that.

Suddenly out of nowhere Myoga jumped near her ear and whispered, "When you managed to escape tonight, meet the others at the kitchen. I'll hide in your hair now and guide you there later. Now, pretend you didn't hear anything!"

Kagome was relieved that Myoga was going to be with her. Just then, Prince Senka passed her a piece of folded paper from underneath the table. When Prince Hideyuki wasn't looking, she quickly looked down on the paper in her hand. On top of it wrote: Read this aloud when that psycho wants to kill you. Silently thanking him she quickly hid it in her clothing.

* * *

After dinner, Prince Hideyuki brought her to his room. His room was almost as big as her house she thought. "Wow, look at all this ice statues," she said, picking up a bird statue on his study table. There were dragon, griffin, bird, horses and deer statues. 

"I made them myself," he said. "It's my hobby."

"They're nice," she commented. "Do you like to read too?" she asked, eyeing at the rows of scrolls on the racks.

"Yes," he said. He was lying sideways on his futon. He yawned and said, "I hadn't slept in days."

Good. It'll be easier to make him sleep that way, she thought.

Then she took a deep breath and said, "I heard you love stories from the villagers so I prepared one that you might like. Would you like to hear it?"

"What story is it?"

"It's called the Never Ending Story."

He brightened up at that. "Sounds interesting. Please do tell me."

"Alright," she said and went over to sit beside him. She felt a little nervous when too near to him.

Then she began:

_Once upon a time, there lived an emperor that loved to listen to stories. Everyday a storyteller was sent to tell him some stories. The problem was every time a story ended the emperor felt very sad. So one day, he offered anyone who can tell him a story that never ends with a handsome reward. When a hunter heard about it, he went to the palace to meet the emperor. When he was brought before the emperor, he told the emperor he can tell a story that will never end. Excited, the emperor let him tell his story._

_The hunter began by how he came across a huge tree with hundreds of birds perched on top of it. Then he took a big net and managed to capture them all. After that, he grabbed a bird and put it into a sack, then he grabbed another bird and put it into a sack, then he grabbed another bird and put it into a sack…"_

Kagome kept going on and on the 'then he grabbed another bird and put it into a sack'part. The prince was beginning to get bored after a few minutes later. He eyes were beginning to droop. He was having a hard time keeping awake. Well, there are hundreds of birds to put into the sack, he thought. I'll take a quick nap first.

When she saw the prince was asleep, she stopped and silently got up of the futon and made her way silently to the door. She opened the door silently and slipped outside, closing the door behind her silently. What she did not notice was the prince was a light sleeper and he woke up in time to see the door closed silently.

Hmm, he thought. What is she up to now?

He got up and followed her outside. He decided to spy on her and cast invisibility spell onto himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and the others found the Ice Crystal in a most unlikely place --- the playroom. 

It was on a rack among the toys. It was not hard to spot because it was giving out some cold aura and glowing blue colour. It was the size of a fist.

"We found it," Inuyasha said satisfyingly.

"Now, let's get Kagome and get out of here before the others get suspicious," Sango said urgently. "You can smash it later when we get out of here."

"Keh! Like I need to be told twice," he said.

After that, they sneaked silently through the palace like ninjas to the kitchen. The kitchen had a back door that was probably much safer to use than the main door. They were not taking any chances in angering the dragon demons any further. If they were caught, they were dead meat. It would be a match to battle the whole family.

All the servants had already gone to bed so the kitchen at that time was deserted. The utensils were already washed and put away. The back door was at the end of the kitchen.

"We'll wait for Kagome for a while," Inuyasha said. "If she doesn't show up I'm going in to get her." Everyone nodded.

"There's no need to, I'm here already," Kagome said, entering the kitchen.

"Kagome!" They all cried at the same time. They were glad she was fine.

"We were worried the prince had already killed you," Sango said, hugging her warmly.

"I'm fine. I already put him to sleep," she grinned.

"Huh? How?" Inuyasha was astonished to hear that.

"Explain later. Now we need to get out of here fast before dawn." Miroku said. Then he went over to unlock the back door and opened it for his friends.

SLAM!

The door suddenly slammed shut and the lock slid back in place. It was like some kind of invisible force that shut it.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A bunch of thieves and a bride who wished to runaway from me," a voice said out of nowhere.

"That voice sounds familiar," Shippo said. Everyone paled except Inuyasha because they knew who that voice belonged to.

Prince Hideyuki suddenly appeared in front of the backdoor with a smirk on his face. "I should have known it earlier. He can do magic!" Miroku said. Everyone prepared to fight him.

He shook his head from side to side slowly. "Did you really think you can escape so easily? And Kagome you should know something--- dragons that are more than a century old are light sleepers."

"Well, that's not important," Inuyasha said, drawing his tessaiga.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Inuyasha. I'm in no mood to fight." he said mockingly. "And I got something to tell you that might make you think all of your efforts were foolish."

"What?" he demanded.

"The Ice Crystal is of no use to us and we would have given it to you if you asked us for it." Then he grinned broadly and continued, "And …it is a _toy_!"

"What!?" Inuyasha cried angrily. Everyone was confused when he said that. It was too hard for them to believe what he just said.

"You got to be kidding us!" Miroku cried.

"Too bad…I'm not kidding at all." He laughed triumphantly when he saw the looks on their faces.

* * *

I hope all of you are surprised that the crystal that they wanted to steal so badly turns out to be just a toy, lol. I'll explain later in the next and maybe the final chapter. Read and review, please. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The prince was still laughing at their foolishness when Sango asked, "What do you mean that it is a toy?" An eyebrow of Inuyasha was twitching because he was annoyed at being laughed at. Poor Myoga was still hiding in Kagome's hair as he was too afraid to come out for fear of Inuyasha's wrath.

"Give it to me and I'll show you," the prince said, holding his hand out towards them.

Miroku handed him the crystal. "I used to play this when I was young. Believe me, it would be fascinating at first but when you grow up and know how to use your cold powers this crystal is nothing more than a trick to fool people who know nothing about powers over cold such as all of you and other demons," Prince Hideyuki explained. Then he took a jug filled with water and placed it in front of them. He grabbed hold of the crystal and concentrated to form a shape he wanted to create with the crystal.

Everyone gasped when a dragon that seemed made out of water seemed to be getting out of the jug. Then Prince Hideyuki concentrated in giving it a solid body by freezing it. The thing that fascinated everyone most was the ice dragon which was the size of a myna bird grew solid then took off into the air flying around the room. Prince Hideyuki held up a hand to it and the dragon came to him and perched on his hand. After for a while the dragon returned to its water form and leaving a puddle on the floor and wetting the prince's hand.

"You see, this crystal is a toy to create ice creatures and giving them lives for a while. The person that created it will be able to control it. It really fascinates white dragon demons' children. In fact, it was created by my great grandfather to give his daughter as a gift long ago. It is just an ordinary crystal given some power by a white dragon demon. Perhaps he wasn't aware how much power he put in until his daughter lost it one day. Some demons found it and used it for war. We don't like other demons to use our powers for war so we got it back from them. Then, my great grandfather took some power out to make it weaker so that it will not be used as a weapon again." Then he added with a smirk, "I guess you came a bit too late."

"Grrr…" Inuyasha growled. He wanted to hit the prince and wipe the smirk of his face. Then he screamed, "Myouga!"

"Kagome, please, please, please don't tell Master Inuyasha I'm here," he whispered into Kagome's ear. "I promise I won't suck your blood for the rest of my life if you don't." Kagome sighed and nodded. If Inuyasha found him he would be squashed for sure.

"Keh! Let's get moving then, we wasted enough time. We have to go find Naraku," he said, turning to open the back door. The rest of the group was not that sure that the prince would let them get away that easily.

"I guess we'll be leaving then. Sorry to have caused you so much trouble," Miroku apologized to the prince.

"Ahem, all of you can leave except Kagome." Everyone turned around to look at him in shock. "What!?" Inuyasha asked, not believing what he just heard nor did Kagome and the rest of them.

Prince Hideyuki raised an eyebrow at them and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Have you forgotten that she is still my wife?"

"But you were planning to kill me so why do you still want me to be here? Weren't you happy that I'm leaving and never come back?" Kagome asked worriedly. She got a feeling that she was not going to like his answer.

"Kagome there's something you should know, I have long pardoned you since the first time I met you. You came of your own will and you didn't demand much from me. Now I know what your purpose are but you did it without a thought of your own safety for you already knew about what I did to the other brides. Kagome, you're selfless, chaste and wise and for that, I love you," he smiled at Kagome. For the first time they met him, this was the first time they saw him smile sincerely.

Kagome blushed and looked down on the floor. "I-I don't know what to say," Kagome was very embarrassed to hear that. She became worried when she sensed a murderous air around them which was coming from Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was clenching and unclenching his fist in anger. He wanted to tear Prince Hideyuki limb from limb. Seeing Inuyasha's anger, Prince Hideyuki asked, "In order to get in here you send your girlfriend to wed me to get in here and find the crystal, am I right?"

"Who said she's my girlfriend!?" he yelled at him. Kagome was hurt a little when he said that. The others just rolled their eyes. "He'll never admit it," Shippo sighed

"Then why are you so upset? Are you jealous?" Prince Hideyuki shot back.

"I'll-I'll KILL YOU!!!" Inuyasha screamed and charged at him. Everyone was taken by surprise when he did that. Kagome was very worried because she didn't want him to get hurt.

Prince Hideyuki held out a hand towards Inuyasha's direction and muttered some words under his breath. Suddenly, Inuyasha was held at bay by some invisible force. He kept struggling to reach the prince but to no avail.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha…Inuyasha," he said, wagging his finger at Inuyasha. "You really need to learn to control your anger." Then Kagome stepped in front of him. "Please don't hurt him," she begged him.

"I won't if he won't," he answered.

Then she turned to Inuyasha see if he promised he will not fight. "Alright," he said after a long moment.

"This is getting exciting," Miroku whispered to Sango and Shippo. Kirara just mewed in Sango's arms.

"Hideyuki, there's something you should know. I don't to feel the same about you. I'm sorry," she said hesitantly to him.

"I know that or else you wouldn't think about running away but I'm sorry, you're still my wife and you have to stay here with me. Didn't you say 'I do' when my father asked will you stay by my side and love me through all hardships and difficulty in life until death drew us both apart?"

"Well, I did." She said sadly. Then she told him, "I'm sure there are many other women out there who will be better than me."

"No, Kagome. I won't take anyone as my wife besides you," he said and pulled her into a hug. She blushed and at the same time was surprised his body was warm not cold like she expected. Inuyasha was having a hard time controlling his jealousy again after seeing them hugged.

"How romantic," Sango said. Miroku turned and hugged her as well but when his hand went to caress Sango's butt, he got slapped again.

"Yeah," Shippo agreed. Then he turned to Inuyasha and said, "Inuyasha, that's something you should learn, you two-timing dog." Inuyasha hit Shippo on the head hard. "Oww!" Shippo cried in pain.

"Shut up!"

"Wait, I need to ask you something," Kagome said, pulling away from his hug. "Can you give me ten reasons why I should take you as my husband?"

"No problem. 1) I'm good looking. 2) I'm strong. 3) I'm powerful. 4) I'm a prince and it's every girl's dream to marry one. 5) I'm hard-working. 6) I'm a responsible person. 7) I can sing. 8) I'm good with children. 9) I'll protect you and be by your side always. 10) I'll love you until I die."

Kagome blinked at him when he finished. She was surprised he could come out with ten reasons so fast and now she is unsure what to say. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at what he just said. The others were impressed by his quick thinking.

"Wow, that…was fast," Miroku said.

"Why, thank you." He grinned at him. Then he yawned and stretched himself. It was getting late and he had not slept in eleven months. "Kagome, let's go to sleep now. I'm tired. We can talk tomorrow."

"Huh? With you?" Kagome asked, she became nervous to what he just said. Inuyasha quickly yelled, "Not a chance!"

"Kagome, I'm not an animal. I won't force you to do what you don't want to. If it makes you feel any better, Shippo can sleep with us tonight."

"Yaayyy, I don't have to sleep with Inuyasha tonight!" Shippo cried happily and jumped onto Kagome's shoulder.

"Okay," Kagome sighed in relief. Then Prince Hideyuki took her hand and led her to his room, leaving the others to go back to their rooms.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha. I'm sure we can try to bargain with him tomorrow morning to let Kagome go." Miroku reassured Inuyasha after he saw how worried he was. For the first time, Inuyasha did not answer back.

"Besides, look on the bright side—at least it's not Koga."

* * *

Few minutes later, Kagome was feeling a little uncomfortable sleeping with Shippo and Prince Hideyuki because it was a bit crowded. She and Hideyuki needed to sleep a little distance from Shippo who was sleeping between them both, to avoid crushing him in their sleep. Kagome just needed to roll one more time to her right and she would be sleeping on the cold floor. 

"Hideyuki, can you sleep on the floor tonight because it's a bit uncomfortable here." She asked him finally because it was his fault that she had to sleep like this that night.

"I had never slept on the floor in my life, Kagome and I never need to because I'm a prince," he replied.

"Well, you can experience it tonight because it was your idea in the first place," Kagome said angrily.

"I will if you can push me to the floor."

"Shippo, let's push him," Kagome told Shippo.

"Yeah, then we can have the whole bed to ourselves!"

Then they pushed him together but he wouldn't budge. He laughed at their efforts. Then Kagome had an idea when she noticed he was sleeping on his back with his belly and neck easily exposed to them. She quickly whispered something into Shippo's ear. Shippo grinned evilly at her idea.

When Hideyuki saw them closing in on him with wicked looks on their faces, he gulped. Then they both tickled his belly and neck. Kagome tickled his belly and side while Shippo tickled his neck. Hideyuki on the other hand was having a hard time trying to hold back his laughter.

At long last, he failed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" He laughed uncontrollably and tried to roll away from their dancing fingers. They did not stop until he rolled completely out of the futon.

"YES!" Kagome and Shippo cheered their victory.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Hideyuki protested but he got hit by a pillow in the face seconds after he said that.

"Tough luck." Kagome said and giggled along with Shippo. Poor Hideyuki had no choice but to sleep on the hard floor that night.

_Half an hour later…_

"Kagome, I can't sleep," Hideyuki called out softly. He was careful not to awake the sleeping Shippo.

"So?" Kagome asked.

"Can you tell me the Never Ending Story one more time?"

"Hideyuki, I'm tired."

"If you don't I'll sing all night long so both you and Shippo can't sleep tonight."

"Fine," she sighed wearily. Then she went over to sit beside him and began to tell him the story again softly, "Once upon a time, there lived an emperor…

Poor Kagome, she is going to have a hard time with Hideyuki for a while but for now it is

**THE END

* * *

**I'm planning to write a sequel for this story. If any of you are interested, try looking for the title "Seven Days With the Prince" in the future. I'm going to stop writing for a while because I got some important exam coming now :-). I would like to thank those who wrote me the reviews and I really appreciate them. Thank you for putting my story into your favourites too. I hope all of you enjoyed this story :-). 


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